The North (KQ)
The North (aka northern Serenia) is the realm of Icebella, Queen of the North. At one time it was divided from the continent of Serenia, forming a northern continent in the world of Daventry. The land was created through Harlin the Malevolent's powerful magic, and is where he once lived. He moved it to the far north in the Northern Sea, over a vast ocean of his own devising. Background It lay directly north of the Island, and north east of kingdom of Serenia. Harlin's name for the continent is unclear, but has been described as the North.Adventure in Serenia manual:"It has been rumored that the Wizard has taken the Princess to his castle beyond the mountains to the North.", pg The continent itself and the ocean that lapped against it were not natural, for Harlin had used great powers to create the ocean and move the Great Mountains and create other obstacles to divide Serenia in two. This was done in order to create obstacles against those who would try to defeat him. The continent was dominated by the Great Mountains, a region that normally lies north and east of Serenia, at the time had broken off or was shifted due to magical flux caused by Harlin's own dark power. In their place Harlin used his magic to surround the village of Serenia with the Endless Desert. The shoreline of the continent leads to the foothills of the land, which head up into the Great Mountains. The mountains were divided between east and west by a deep gorge with a rickety bridge that crosses over it also created by Harlin's power. In the north western edge of the mountains west of the gorge is a magic cave (the words of a locket, "Lucy" deposit all one holds there). Harlin's towering castle lie in the foothills beyond the Great Mountains. The Great Mountains were returned to their original location some time after Harlin's defeat at the hands of the Wanderer, as was the Endless Desert, and the kingdom was restored to its original state. Despite being described as the North, seasonally the continent does not appear to be located as far north as the North Pole or the Arctic at the time. However, it likely be beyond the pole or near the pole at the time the wanderer was on his journey, as the Great Mountains are the home of Icebella, and it is said that she lives near the polar regions. Icebella's realm would have been moved far north along with the mountains, but was later returned by the time Graham had to cross the mountains. The land seemed to be a rather temperate place with a slight drizzle and rainbows. But most of the time it appears to be a rather sunny land of green grass and trees. Even many of the beaches surrounding the continent appear to be lush. This too was probably controlled by Harlin's magic, as further tricks and obstacles to test those who would come for him. The Country Inn of Serenia is sometimes called the North Inn to designate its existence in the North. Inhabitants *Peasant woman *Giant *Peddler *Harlin the Malevolent *Boar *IcebellaThe Book of King's Quest, 2nd Edition, pg 139 Behind the scenes 'The North' is mentioned in the Adventure in Serenia manual's introduction section. 'The North' in fact can describe many of the regions to the north of the village of Serenia where Priscilla was kidnapped. In KQ5 on the NES, the in country inn is known as the North Inn. The mountains on the northern continent in Wizard and the Princess, and the mountains seen north and east of Serenia in KQ5 are both known as the Great Mountains in those games. The reference to the name Great Mountains in KQ5 was a nod to the reference on the back of the Wizard and the Princess box (in the box prologue and C64 description). The King's Quest Companion further describes the mountains in King's Quest I (Door into Mountain and Land of the Clouds) and King's Quest III on the northern edge of the continent of Daventry (at the time Serenia was completely missing) as being part of the Great Mountains. In Wizard and the Princess/Adventure in Serenia, the mountains are roughly north east of the Village of Serenia but separated by many miles. While the village of Serenia itself is surrounded by the Endless Desert for a long ways in every direction with no mountains in view. In KQ5, the desert is west of the town beyond the forest of Serenia, and the mountains lie to the east, and can be seen rising above the town. This of course causes more questions than it explains anything as far as geographical continuity. The King's Quest Companion explains these descrepencies away as the world continually being in a state of magical flux that moves lands around. The updated version of the manual for Wizard and the Princess also contains an explanation, that Harlin himself had created the deserts that at the time surrounded the village of Serenia, he also created the ocean that split the continent in half, he created the Great Mountains themselves, and even created the chasms that divided the lands (one between the desert and woods, and the one dividing the great mountains in two). These were all put in place to block those who would try to defeat him. While he suggests he literally created them (this should be seen to be more moving things around than actually creating things out of nothing). Also much of the material for Wizard and the Princess and even Adventure in Serenia suggests that the areas explored in the game are collectively known as the land of Serenia. External Links *King's Quest Omnipedia References Category:Northern Sea (KQ) North (KQ) North (KQ)